bantams

I found my bantams to be extremely delightful to have. They were very entertaining, and much easier to hold because of their size.

 They are just as easy to raise as regular sized birds- they just eat less and need a little less space. Everything else would be the same.

As far as getting along with children, I think it would depend on the chicken, and the child.

  There might be breeds that are less docile- those would be less favorable for children. As long as the children are past the put-everything-in-the-mouth stage, and can understand the concept of "gentle" , I think bantams would be a fine introduction to the world of chickens.

Sorry for the thread hijack, but do you eat bantam eggs?  Are they just smaller?  I would like to get some because of their size (and the fact that my 13 year old son is BEGGING for them)...I was just curious since my current flock is all standard-sized and I pay for feed by selling their eggs.

and i also have a question about bantams too....lol. i have always wanted some, but can they easily fly over a 6ft fence? even with a clipped wing? thats the only reason i haven't gotten bantams yet...i'm afraid they'll fly out.
 

Silkies would be your best bet for bantams, they are soooo friendly!!

Have you looked at the polish bantam, i have one and my daughter LOVES it!! + they look fab!!

Enjoy!!! 

i have mostly bantams and love them all - silkies, showgirls, D'Uccles, a D'Anver, faverolles, a cochin, a polish, some phoenix, and a bantam game mix.  Their eggs are just the perfect size and super yummy.  They make the best deviled eggs!  Some of mine can fly, like the phoenix and game bird, but they have never tried to get away.  My silkies are the friendliest.  Also, our D'Anver is so sweet, and the cochin is super friendly, too.  You just need to spend time with them, holding them, giving them treats, to get them accustomed and happy to see you.

bantam eggs are the best, we have a pekin cross D'anver and her eggs are amazing, huge yolks compared to the white, 3 of them make an amazing egg sarnie. there very friendly and shes very  brave and struts around the garden/house like she owns it. she will even go to sleep on my lap and isnt afraid of the dogs. we have just got 2 pekin bantam chicks for her as after her sister died last year she was getting lonely, and 3 big layer chickens dont make good snuggle company. so far shes been very much asserting her size over them. she can fly, very well, even with a clipped wing, and a few weeks ago wandered off into the neighburhood, luckily we know our close neighburs quite well and they found her in a hedge on the edge of the field that our garden backs onto. she looked rather lost and was very happy to be home. i think most breeds make good pets, some are classed as rare breeds such as the sebright and D'anver and they are very funny to watch run around the garden after bugs. ours even tried to catch flys that are flying around her, so funny watching her jump around trying to catch it.